Already Dead
by SulfurRodent
Summary: Flare and Lana are two girls who get dragged down the rabbit hole, one against her will and one on accident. But the interest in these new foreigners is quickly diminished as they find out these girls might be more than they bargained for ….How will the role holders handle these girls whose demons prevent them from getting close? AcexOCxBoris OCx?
1. Chapter 1

_Edited (6/25)_

_X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X_

'_Things like this can always be ended quickly, can't they?'_

The mirror shattered.

Flare stood frozen a moment, staring with wild eyes at her fist buried into the now shattered mirror watching as the pieces clattered to the ground.

Flare staggered backwards, tears beginning to gather in her eyes as she pulled her cut up fist to her chest, her eyes livid with emotions.

She lost her balance, falling backwards into the wall of the girl's restroom, sliding to the ground and beganning to hyperventilate, looking at her bloody fist, opening it. In her palm sat a crumpled up piece of paper, the few words written on it in dark red ink.

'_**See you tomorrow you piece of shit~ I'm sure we'll have even more fun than we did today!' **_

She flung the note away from her, unable to read the rest of the horrible things that followed, hitting her head against the hard wall behind her as hard as she could multiple times.

The words seemed to echo in her head in a sarcastic chant, bouncing around madly and fueling the tears that were beginning to burn behind her eyes.

Everything around her seemed to stop as she recognized the weights of those words.

'_Tomorrow….'_

'_Tomorrow….'_

'…_.'_

'_What's the point in tomorrow?'_

She pulled her knees up, burying her head in them, her breathing panicked and ragged as she clawed at her hair madly.

'_Yesterday, today, tomorrow, it's all the same…'_

"I can't go on."

"I can't".

She let out a frantic sob as tears spilled over in fat globs, lifting her head. Her vision was spinning, everything turning lopsided and disoriented from tears and panic

She could faintly hear yelling, but her mind was in too weak a stage to recognize it, the sound turning into incomprehensible static.

A large shard of the mirror fell and tumbled over to her, its jagged edge gleaming in the corner of her eye.

She reached towards it weakly, grabbing it in her trembling hand, holding onto it so hard it cut into her skin, a sharp stinging sensation jolting through her hand.

She could hear footsteps echoing, but they simply reverberated emptily through her head.

'_No more.'_ She thought numbly, raising the shard, holding her wrist out, a distant, hypnotized look on her eyes.

'_I've had enough.'_

"FLARE NO!"

She brought her hand down.

Someone grabbed her hand suddenly, her aim thrown off as she left a gash on the side of her arm, away from the vein she was aiming for.

A strong hand grabbed her wrist, trying to pry the shard away from her hand, Flare struggling to regain control of it.

"NO! STOP IT!" She screamed desperately, gripping the shard so hard that it sliced in the palm of her hand. "JUST LET ME DO THIS!"

"Flare please!"

"NO!"

They tore the shard from her hands, shoving her roughly to the floor.

Flare held onto her bleeding arm, the gash having cut deep into her skin, warm blood staining her hand.

She looked up weakly.

Sitting there was a girl with long honey brown hair that had an almost gold tint to it, her light blue eyes shimmering with tears as she clutched the shard she had just pried away from Flare in her hands to her chest, blood dripping from it.

"Flare…" She whispered, hands trembling and her eyes terrified as she looked at her.

Flare could only look away.

The girl threw the shard away from her like it was poison, crawling over to Flare and lifting her off the ground, pulling her into tight hug.

"I almost lost you." She sobbed, stroking her hair, shaking almost as much as Flare was.

She held her closer, breaking into loud sobs.

"I'm so sorry Flare….l heard the girls were being mean to you again and I- I should've realized it sooner! I should've done something! I'm so sorry!"

Flare was silent, staring blankly into space with such a dazed look it was like she was seeing things that weren't there, her body limp in the girl's grasp

"I was so close…" She whispered, unheard over her friend's sobs.

Her friend held her a moment before pulling away, grabbing her by the shoulders, a serious look in her eyes.

"Flare why didn't you tell me? Why do you insist on standing alone?!" She said, voice rising.

Flare simply looked away, letting her hair fall in front of her face so she wouldn't have to meet her eyes.

The girl shook her head, beginning to rise and pulling Flare up with her, a deep frown settling on her face.

"Listen, tomorrow we'll go talk to the principal about it- again. Okay?" She said, holding her friends hands firmly.

Flare simply stared at the ground with blank eyes, lips pulled into a thin line.

"….Let's just ditch the rest of the school day. I don't think either of us is up to finishing the day."

She looked down at Flare's arm, looking at the new wounds.

"Those are going to leave more scars…." She said with a detached tone before pulling her into another embrace.

"I almost lost you." She whispered.

"…..I'm sorry Lana." She whispered back meekly.

Lana just pulled away, shaking her head with a sad smile.

"I know you're not. Let me just go change out of my PE cloths and we can leave." She said happily, flashing her cheerful smile; but her eyes were still terrified.

"I'll be right back, okay?" She said with a serious tone, darting out of the girl's bathroom.

Flare watched her leave before her legs gave out beneath her as she hung her head, fists clutched tightly.

'_No matter what I do…'_

'_I can never run fast enough.'_

X+X+X+X+X++X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X

"God I can't believe we can just walk out of school. Why doesn't everyone do this?" Lana said in a sing song tone, doing a happy twirl.

Flare just shrugged, following her friend into the forest-like area of a nearby park, watching her friend twirl around.

Lana was wearing a simple blue dress that hung loosely on her with lace and frills lining the edge of it, the bottom part of her dress spiraling out as she twirled. She was at an average height for her age, and her body was toned from all the sports and activities she participated in, everything evenly proportioned. She wore her hair down most days, it falling to almost her knees in wavy curtains that seemed to dance with her every move. Her skin was a creamy color that was beginning to become tanned from participating in the outside sports season, free of any blemishes.

She was any guys dream girl.

Flare looked down at herself.

She was short, but not so short it was unusual. She was disturbingly skinny, skeletal even, pale skin that almost sickly clung to her. Her hair was an odd color, the base color simple red with hints and highlights of other colors like orange, light brown and rustic orange. It might've been a pretty color, but it was dull, becoming brittle, and unkempt, falling almost to her hips, the ends ragged. Her eyes were the only things special about her; one as blue as the azure sky, and the other a beautiful light emerald green, but they looked dead, nearly void of emotion.

Her cloths were plain, a baggy grey sweater, the sleeves stained through the blood now and old worn cargo pants with black tennis shoes. Nothing special.

She was nothing special.

"Helloooo? Flare?"

Flare snapped to attention, backing up from the close proximity Lana was to her.

Lana just laughed, flicking her forehead.

"Come on; let's go rest under that tree over there." Lana said, grabbing her by the hand and practically dragging her.

Flare let out an amused sigh, following her up the hill to a tall tree.

Wherever Lana went, Flare followed. Lana enjoyed the company, and Flare just usually didn't care where they were going.

Lana sat down at the base of the tree letting out a long sigh, tugging her down with her and curling up beside her, letting out a loud yawn.

"Jeez I'm tired…..it's a long walk here, isn't it? You don't even seem fazed….." She trailed off from there, falling silent.

Flare looked down to see she had fallen asleep, her face blank.

Flare let out a heavy sigh, her face immediately falling to a dark expression as she looked to the sky that was becoming cloudy quickly.

"It's going to rain soon…." She said absent mindedly.

'_I was so close….'_ She thought, closing her eyes and clutching her wound.

'_How much longer can I go on like this?'_

She closed her eyes.

'_I'm just so tired….' _

She felt Lana shift next to her.

She heard a scream next to her.

"DID YOU JUST FUCKING TALK?"

Flare blinked in surprise as Lana yelled, backing up into her, Flare scooting away, looking at what Lana's wide eyes were focused on.

She blinked in surprise.

Standing there was a white rabbit with glasses wearing a red suit and standing upright, looking at Lana with sparkling eyes that seemed almost human in expression.

"Do you see it too Flare?" Lana whispered to her. Flare just nodded slowly, eyes wide with shock.

The rabbit marched right up Lana with a serious expression in its face.

"What are you doing?! You have to chase me!" He said, looking quite grumpy, not even casting Flare a second glance.

"Pleeeease tell me you heard that too Flare?" Lana whispered.

She just nodded her head slowly, mouth dropping open slightly.

Lana covered her eyes with her hand and then Flare's.

"Maybe if we don't look at it, he'll go away…"

It was silent for a moment.

Suddenly Lana's weight was lifted away from her.

"WAIT- WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Lana screamed.

Flare's jaw dropped completely. The rabbit was gone, and in its place was a man with white hair and red eyes, white rabbit ears poking out of his head, and Lana slung over his shoulder with a terrified expression.

"Please don't scream in my ear." The man said cheerfully with a bright smile, like he had just won the lottery.

"Put me down right now!" Lana said panicking, looking at Flare with wide panicked eyes.

Flare jumped off the floor, reaching for Lana's outstretched hand, barely grasping it when the rabbit man suddenly took off, dragging Flare with him.

Lana wrapped her arms around Flare to keep her with them, unintentionally digging her nails into her skin, letting out a scream.

"F-Flare!" Lana stammered obviously terrified. "What's going on?"

Flare's eyes widened as she glanced over the rabbit man's shoulder.

"Were heading towards a huge hole!" She said, eyes wide.

"Wait- what?!" Lana squeaked, turning her head to yelling in the man's ear. "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING YOU STUPID PYSCHOPATH?!"

"Well, if there's a hole, you must jump in!" He exclaimed cheerfully, jumping down the hole before Lana even had a chance to open her mouth and protest.

Flare clutched her eyes shut as the ground suddenly disappeared from beneath them, holding on tightly to Lana screeched loudly as they plummeted into darkness, her world going black.

X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X

Flare's eyes opened sharply as she woke, taking in a sharp breath.

'_I'm….alive?'_ She thought, heart still beating in terror.

She lay still a moment before taking a deep breath, calming herself down slowly, looking around her.

"What the…." She whispered in shock.

The clearing around her was completely different from the park's, and definitely not something she would expect to be at the bottom of a dark hole. She was in what seemed to be a forest, large trees towering over her with strange arrows and doors on them.

How had she survived that fall-?

She bit her lip in disappointment, looking down where Lana was stirring next to her, sitting up slowly, holding her head.

"Ugh…..my head….." She mumbled, rubbing her eyes a moment before looking around with the same perplexed look on her face.

"A forest-?" She mumbled seeming a bit dazed, jumping as she noticed her.

"Flare? Thank goodness you're here too….." She said in relief, putting a hand to her head. "What even happened…"

"….Where are we?" She whispered in awe, jaw slightly ajar as she took in their surroundings.

"This…..is Wonderland…" A voice said from behind them.

They both immediately turned their heads, meeting the overly cheerful gaze of the rabbit man.

"…..Wonderland?" Lana muttered confused, one of her eyebrows raising slightly.

"Yes!" He replied cheerfully, not noticing her skepticism. He began to approach Lana, not seeming to notice Flare as he walked past her, holding a hand out to Lana with a charming smile on his face and an eerily affectionate look in his eyes.

"Welcome to Wonderland, Lana." He said with a warm smile.

"…..How the heck do you know my name you creep?" Lana muttered darkly, ignoring his hand, turning her head away from him slightly.

He blinked in surprise, taken back by her change in attitude, but quickly recovered, giving her another bright smile, seeming unfazed by the deadly look she was giving him.

Flare looked at her friend with weary eyes.

When you messed with Lana…things would definitely not go smoothly for you…...

She was good by nature, but if you pushed her over the edge or bothered her even slightly, a much darker side would begin to surface. Flare never really quite understood why Lana was like that, but she had never asked her about it, as she had always danced around the topic whenever it was brought up.

"Of course I know your name. I love you." He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, crossing his arms.

Flare could practically feel the waves of rage rolling off of Lana.

"….Take me home…..now….." She spat out slowly, a dark smile dripping with venom on her face. "Flare, too."

"Oh? Looks like your friend accidently came too… " He said, shooting a quick uncaring glance her way. "Ah, no matter." He said brushing it off, rummaging through his pocket, pulling out a small clear bottle with a heart shaped cap, filled with strange liquid.

He held it out to Lana.

"Here. Please drink it." He said casually.

"No way! Who would drink something that suspicious?!" Lana yelled dumbfounded. Who was this moron?! "I'm not drinking that! It's probably drugged or poisoned!"

"That's a problem." He said clicking his tongue, walking closer to her. Lana immediately began to back up, eye twitching in annoyance.

"What are you doing?" Lana said cautiously, trying to stand, but unable to get up. Her eyes widened with a flicker of fear. "I can't get up Flare….."

Flare tried to stand as well but her weak legs weren't responding.

"I can't either….."

"Flare he's coming closer….." She whispered.

He leaned down in front of her, getting close to her face.

"Aren't you curious to learn my name?" He asked, tilting his head, still cheerful and positive despite Lana's dark attitude.

Lana spat in his face but he just laughed, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping it away before turning his focus back to her completely unfazed.

"Hmmm…I see~" He said distantly with a mischievous smirk on his face. "I didn't think it would be that easy…"

Lana backed up as far as she could with an uneasy look on her face as the rabbit man popped the cap off the bottle. "The game would be boring if it were that easy…"

"…Game?" Lana muttered, growing more and more weary as she watched him, gasping as he downed the whole bottle.

"What are you-"

Before she could even finish her sentence, he bent down, and kissed her.

Flare's eyes widened in complete shock.

A drop of liquid ran down her face as she struggled to get away from him, but he simply grabbed her shoulders to hold her in place with seemingly no effort.

'_He's forcing it into her mouth….'_ She thought, watching horrified as Lana struggled her best to get away.

'_What is going on?!'_

He finally pulled away from her after what seemed to be forever, a thin line of what could've been the saliva or the liquid following his lips as he pulled away, licking his lips with a satisfied, smug look on his face.

"I'm just lending you a hand, since you complain a lot." He said, putting his hands on his hips, a look on his face that said he was very pleased with himself.

Lana just sat there in pure shock, mouth opening and closing, facial expression constantly changing before it finally settled on rage. But before Lana could even squeak a word out, the rabbit man had begun to walk off.

"This is the potion of hearts." He began, his tone of voice suggesting he was quoting something. "Once you drink it, you must participate in the game."

Lana was silent, running through the words in her head and still wordless from shock while death glaring at the rabbit man.

"Oh, my name is Peter." He said, turning his head to look at her with a charming smile. "Peter White. Now, Lana, the game begins. Let's meet again."

And with that, he left.

"Let's not!" Lana managed to spit out after him as he left the clearing.

Lana began to frantically wipe the kiss away from her lips, shaking angrily.

"God that was disgusting! I wish I had a cheese grater to get the awful feeling off my face." She hissed, eyes dark and angry as she looked at the spot where the man had left.

"Peter White…." She whispered, eyes narrowing. "That shit is going to regret that if we cross paths again….."

She pulled herself off the floor, swaying a moment before keeping her balance.

"Wouldn't that have been useful a few moments again…" She muttered, brushing herself off.

She sucked in a deep breath of air, exhaling it slowly.

"Who does he think he is?!" She began. "He can't just-just kidnap someone and kiss them! That smug little bastard! I won't feel better till I've wiped that disgusting grin off of his face with my bare knuckles…" She fumed, stomping her foot and crossing her arms like a six year old having a temper tantrum.

"Anyway, are you okay Flare?" She said, anger immediately dissipating as she turned to her, eyes sparkling in worry.

"…Yeah, I'm fine." She said, pulling herself off the ground, head bent in shame. "I'm sorry…this is my entire fault…if I hadn't….Then we wouldn't be…."

"Hush up women, if it's anyone's fault, it's that rabbit shit's fault." She said with a heavy sigh, her rage beginning to fade. She grabbed Flare's hand, giving her a trademark lopsided grin.

"Well, while were stuck here, we might as well make an adventure out of it." She said, trying to sound upbeat even though her tone was tired and bummed out. She began to walk off, Flare following obediently behind her, staying close to her back.

"And hey…..I'm sorry for dragging you here." Lana said sounding genuinely guilty.

Flare shook her head, closing her eyes.

"No…don't be. It wouldn't have been the same there without you there." She said softly.

Lana turned to her shocked, mouth opened slightly in shocked before she broke out into a huge grin.

"Well we'll just have to make the best of this! Onwards!" She said with a loud laugh, marching off into the forest.

Flare just let out a heavy sigh, face blank as she followed closely behind her.

X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X


	2. Chapter 2

Updated (6/25)

X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X

"Jeez…..I've never seen a mansion like that before…" Lana said, letting out a low whistle as they began to approach the gates of a huge mansion. They had been wandering around aimlessly for a while, the mansion the only thing they has seen so far that wasn't trees.

Flare looked at the mansion and flinched, focusing her gaze on the ground. "Are you sure it's a good idea to approach this place head on?" She asked quietly, sticking closer to Lana.

Lana simply laughed it off, giving her a reassuring glance.

"Don't worry, I'm sure the residents will be harmless, like Bill Gates or something."

"What if that Peter guy owns it though?"

Lana stopped in her tracks, eye twitching slightly.

"Then I will wreck everything." She said in a dark voice before walking faster towards the gates. Lana placed her hand on the gate, shaking it slightly with a perplexed expression on her face. "Is there supposed to be a doorbell or one of those fancy speakers? Or can we just walk in-"

"Onee-san, do you have business at the mansion?" Two unison voices suddenly said, Lana and Flare both jumping in surprise, gazes immediately darting in the direction of the voices.

Standing there were two twin young boys with short dark blue, almost black hair, eye color corresponding to their guard outfit color, blue and red. They were both carrying a pair of halberds held at the ready, smiles on their face that were a little less than friendly.

"We're the guards here!" One said in an unnaturally happy voice, looking at them curiously.

"We get rid of all trespassers." The other finished with a proud tone.

Flare didn't like the way their eyes were gleaming as they looked at Lana.

"You don't look like a bad person-"

"But people aren't always as they seem."

Flare didn't like where this was going…

"Hey we're just here to-" But Lana was quickly cut off.

"It won't hurt that much! Right brother?"

Lana's eyes widened at their statement, her body tensioning.

"Wait a second we-"

"Yup! Let's kill them brother."

"We're not letting you go!" They said happily, raising their weapons upwards. Lana quickly shoved Flare behind her back, turning away with a terrified look on her face, biting her lip nervously as they were about to bring down their weapons when a sharp voice cut in.

"Hey, you two! What are you doing?"

Flare and Lana turned their heads. Standing there was another man with rabbit ears and shaggy orange hair, brow ears twitching as he rubbed the back of his head, staring at the twins annoyed.

"Aren't they guest, these woman?" He asked, casting them suspicious glances.

Lana opened her mouth to say something but was quickly cut off by the twins.

"Don't get in our way newbie-hare!"

"Yeah, I don't want my pay docked!"

The orange haired man's attention shifted off of them and onto the twins, his expression turning irritated.

"Says the guys who were slacking off might I add…." He grumbled at them, giving them disapproving glances.

He turned to them again, expression going bored as he crossed his arms, a glimmer or suspicion in his eyes.

"Are you really a guest or are you spies?"

"We're just-"

"Hmmm Well, I don't care either way." He said, cutting them off suddenly, reaching for something.

Before they could even get a word out, Lana had a gun pointed at her neck, the man staring down at her with an almost bored expression.

"Let me handle this one." He said with a smooth smile, staring down at the two fragile girls. "I want to test this gun."

But before he could even place his finger on the trigger, Lana exploded.

"EEEEEEEEEENOUGH!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.

Everything was quiet for a moment as Lana took in another deep breath.

"Are all you stupid overgrown man rodents stupid little shits here?!" Lana yelled, snapping once again. Flare sighed both in relief Lana wasn't going to be shot, and in exasperation at the rant that was sure to follow.

The rabbit man paused, shocked at her words.

"Listen here dumbass, me and my friend here JUST WANT SOME STUPID DIRECTIONS. And if you sadistic little half-wits could keep your traps shut for a few seconds, YOU WOULD KNOW THAT. Do we look like spies to you? Yeah, just gonna destroy your shit ass mansion here with my weapons that I OBVIOUSLY am loaded with, you douche bags." Lana practically screamed in his face, slapping the gun out of his hands.

"Put the gun down you imbecile, think it's pretty oblivious we're a couple of fragile kids. My god who is the master of this place, if he trained you idiots he must be one-"

Someone stepped next to Flare, laying a hand on Lana's shoulder, making them both freeze.

"Blood….." The orange haired man said, taking a step back.

"I think that will be enough." A smooth voice said cutting through the silence and turning the atmosphere tense. "I thought I told you not to kill anyone on the premises without my consent."

Standing next to her was a tall man wearing fancy clothing, his longish messy black hair spread around his shoulders like smoke, an odd top hat resting on his head, sharp emerald eyes seeming to survey and analyze everything carefully.

Lana slowly turned her head, looking up at him in shock.

Her eyes narrowed.

She turned around sharply and pushed him away as hard as she could, which wasn't much against a man his size compared to her.

"Hey, keep your hands to yourself bastard." She hissed annoyed, glaring at him with dark eyes. "Come on, Flare. We'll go find others who aren't so uncouth. Keep your man rodents and freakish children in line!" She spat at the man, turning around and swiftly walking away, not casting the man another glance, still fuming to herself.

"Children?!" The children shouted, offended.

"Man…rodent?!" The carrot head said, even more offended.

Flare followed closely behind Lana still holding her hand and keeping her head down, glancing at the man under her bangs.

He was studying Lana with and unreadable expression that sent shivers up her spine before turning to her, meeting her different colored eyes.

She closed her eyes quickly and turned away, hair falling in front of her face like a shield from the gaze as she followed Lana away.

Lana's temper would either be her greatest asset or her greatest downfall.

X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X

"Night already?" Lana muttered confused, looking at the sky that had suddenly gone dark with a disturbed look. "Great. Nothing like wandering around a strange world filled with strange people in the _dark_."

"Wasn't it just noon?" Flare asked in confusion, looking forwards when she saw something poking out of the treetops. "Ah- look." She said, pointing at the tip of what seemed to be a tower.

Lana let out a heavy sigh.

"Let's hope there isn't more man rodents here, please let there be someone sensible, anything." Lana prayed with an exasperated tone, beginning to approach the tower.

"There are lights on, but no one seems to be here…" Lana mumbled, looking around the tower cautiously. "At least no one will be pointing guns at our necks like the last weirdo."

"Maybe we can stay here the night if no one is here, or wait till the owners get home." Flare muttered.

"Ha! They'll probably be an army of man rodents knowing our luck. If no one's here, we'd have better luck sleeping in a tree-"

"Ah- Someone's there." Flare said, stopping suddenly and pointing.

Lana stopped in her tracks, following Flare's gaze.

Standing before them on a balcony was a figure with long dark blue hair, wearing a cloak of some sort.

"…Well I don't see any animal appendages! Let's hope this lady is more sensible then the other idiots we've met so far." Lana said with a hopeful expression. Lana began to walk towards them, dragging Flare with her.

"S'cuse me, lady-"

"Who's there?!" The figure said, whirling around quickly, a defensive angry look on his serious face.

Lana pointed a finger at them, taking a step back and bumping into Flare slightly, letting out a deep breath.

"AAAAanoooootheeeeerrr ooooonneeee….." Lana trailed off in a sarcastic voice, rolling her eyes.

"What are you doing here? Get out!" He yelled, stomping towards them in an aggressive manner.

"And of course, he's also a character. Come on Flare, let's go. I'd rather take my chances sleeping in the forest." She spat, turning around and beginning to drag her out."I just hope we don't run into white-y again…." Lana muttered under her breath, visibly tensing.

Flare bit her lip.

She carefully pulled her hand away from Lana's, turning around to face the man, taking in a deep breath.

'She always does everything for me, whether I want her to or not.'

'I can at least try to do this for her, for once.'

"Hey." Flare said quietly in a stone cold voice, the man turning around to face her, her gaze going to the floor almost immediately. "Sorry we barged into your house, but we-"

"I don't care. Just leave!" He said, grabbing her arm roughly. She flinched as she tried to tear her arm away, his fingers pulling her wound open again.

Lana jumped forwards, pushing Flare back and grabbing the man by the shirt, eyes gleaming in anger.

"Touch Flare like that again and I so-swear I will personally rip you limb from limb." Lana said in a voice dripping with venom, her eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. "We've done nothing to you. You have no right to treat us so cruelly, understand?"

"Now listen here. We aren't here to wreak your fancy tower or some crap like that. My friend and I were simply dragged down a hole by a giant man rodent, who forced a potion thing down my throat-"

"Potion?!" The man exclaimed.

Lana let out a sigh of relief.

"Finally we're getting somewhere." She said, digging in her pocket and pulling out the little bottle. "It was in this, if it means anything."

"What have you done….?" The man seemed to mumble mostly to himself before turning towards Lana. "….Then that means you and your friend are foreigners."

"Foreigners?" Lana asked confused.

He blew off her question. "When you said man rodent, did you mean Peter? Peter White?"

"You know that little shit?" Lana asked, getting defensive.

He ignored her once again, muttering to himself once more. "So he brought you here without my permission…..That rabbit…!"

The man shook his head and sighed.

"It can't be helped, I'll explain, follow me."

Lana gave him a weary look before following after him, Flare once again in tow.

He led them into a room filled with clocks, sitting down at a table, beckoning for them to each take seats. Lana sat down, still casting the man weary looks as the man laid down a map on the table.

"I am Julius Monrey, master of this clock tower. Now, Lana was it?"

She simply nodded, crossing her arms.

"You are a foreigner, not from this country. I have heard foreigners may come here if they wish but…."

His gaze shifted to Flare.

"May I ask how your friend is here as well?"

"I may or may not have dragged her with me. What of it?" She said, voice stone cold. Julius seemed to think a moment before continuing on.

"This country is dangerous to foreigners who are wandering about."

"Hey Blue, it's not like I want to be here. Don't accuse me of this."

He gave her a questioning look at the name blue, but continued on.

"Guess from what you said the mansion you had been at belonged to the Hatter."

"More like the Ass-Hatter." Lana snorted.

He ignored her comment once again, though irritation did flash on his face as he continued on.

"Elliot March and the Bloody Twins. They swing their weapons around all the time, I'm surprised you even survived."

Lana merely snorted again.

"So the Bastard who can't control his asshole employees, Blood apparently, is the master?"

He gave her a questioning and slightly nervous look at her description.

"Blood Durpe…? He's the mafia boss."

"M-Mafia?!" Lana said, laughing nervously, looking back on how she had acted. "Ha-Ha, imagine that…"

"Yes." He simple said. "They're called the Hatter family and Blood Durpe is the Boss."

"Oh dear lord…." Lana muttered, sitting back in her chair, putting a hand to her head.

"They're crazy. It's best to stay away from them."

After that, the man launched himself into a boring explanation of the territories and the world, Flare and Lana only half listening.

"Yeah yeah…" Lana said afterwards. "But how do we get home? I mean, yeah, thanks for everything, but after being stalked by a man rodent and pissing off the mafia, I think it's time to go home and pretend this is a dream. I believe me and Flare can handle it, just give us directions or something and we'll be on our merry way."

"You can't leave alone." He said, giving them a serious look. "That's the rule of the game you- the foreigner are participating in."

"Why?" Lana said, sitting up. "Both you and the man rodent keep gab gab gabbing about this game, it's starting to piss me off."

Flare noticed something strange.

She turned around, and outside the window the sun was setting.

"It was night just a second ago." She said flatly.

"It's normal in this world, don't make a big fuss over it."

"She wasn't making a fuss you asshole." Lana hissed.

Julius gave her a strange look, glancing between Flare and Lana with an unreadable look before sighing.

"You had the chance to leave when you first arrived but, because of the potion Peter White made you drink, you must participate in the game."

"Wait- so it's that little fuckers fault…." She muttered. "I swear to god when I see him again I'm going to skin him and hang him with his intestinal track as I wave his hide like a victory flag…." She muttered, her face twisting into a mix of a snarl and a sneer. "Wait- hang on a second!" Lana said, jumping out of her seat.

"Flare didn't drink any of that piss- does that mean she can go home?"

Julius nodded.

"Oh. Well….." Lana gave her a questioning look but her eyes were forlorn.

"This is no place for foreigners. It would be best for your friend to go home as soon as possible."

"Don't speak for her, if she wants to stay, that's her choice." Lana snapped.

"Well?" Julius asked.

"It's up to Lana. My world, this world. It makes no difference to me." She said quietly, closing her eyes.

Lana gave her a sad look.

"Well, I would like her to stay until we can both leave together, if she wants." Lana said. "Now tell me how to beat this 'game' or whatever."

"…..The game is whether or not you can return to your world and "you cannot play the game alone." Therefore, "you cannot leave alone." Look at the bottle again."

Lana lifted the bottle in front of her face.

"Hm? It was empty before…." Lana muttered, looking at the little droplet of fluid gathered in it.

"…As I thought. Peter White, the Hatter, and now me…as you meet others, liquid will accumulate. That is your key to returning to your world and the rule for the game is…"Once the bottle is filled, the time to return from will come."

"Psh, piece of cake. Just gotta scream at some more people and we'll be home in no time Flare." Lana said, nudging her.

Flare simply nodded, not seeming to care too much.

"…Scream?" Julius muttered.

X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X

_Sitting on the balcony of a building sat the white rabbit himself, a satisfied expression on his face, his lips curled into a mischievous smile._

"_Now we'll be together forever…Lana…." He muttered, smile growing as he looked into the sky._

X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry for the delayed update. Been pretty busy lately, but thanks to everyone who followed/favorited/reviewed!

X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X

"Soo…I guess my first order of business is to take care of that little fucker…oh what was his name? Petear Wheat?"

Julius sighed at the girl's repeated displays of immaturity. "Peter is the prime minister of the Castle of Hearts."

"What?! Are you kidding me? How is that castle even standing….?" Lana muttered, standing up, dragging Flare with her. "Come on, we know where he is now."

"You're going to see him?"

"More or less. More like beat him. Strangle him. But sure, 'see'." Lana said shrugging, walking towards the entrance with Flare in tow.

"…..Keep life precious to you." Julius said, giving them an odd stare as they left.

Flare closed her eyes, an invisible smirk pulling at her lips.

'_Precious, huh?'_

'_More like a curse.'_

"Yeah, yeah Blue. We'll be back when it's dark. Don't wait up."

Lana slammed the door behind them, and they stood there is silence a moment.

"….I sure hope we at least find one sensible person today. I think if I see another idiot guy I'm going to scream."

It was silent a moment more, Flare waiting for Lana to take off.

"…You know, yesterday, that was awfully brave of you. I've never seen you do that before."

"…..I guess so." She said flatly, for a lack of anything better to say. Lana just looked at her, face blank.

"What do you think of all of this?"

Flare gave her an odd look. "What do you mean?"

"…Do you really want to be here? Or…are you just here because of obligation? Or do you not care? Are you scared? Are you curious?"

"….I'm not sure." She said flatly, looking away.

Lana frowned at her but it was quickly replaced by a smile as she giggled, grabbing her by the hand and skipping away.

"Well, let's go find this Pea-Turd dude, gather some liquid, and go-go-go!" She said, running down the trail in a hyper blaze.

After about ten minutes, Lana was walking at snail pace.

"I'm tired now….." Lana grumbled. "Where are we anyway? Ugh, I'm hungry." She whined.

Flare just sighed, following behind her.

Something startled to rustle in the bushes next to them.

Lana immediately yipped in surprise, pulling Flare behind her like using her body as a shield backing up.

"I swear if that white man-rodent pops out all hell is going to break loose…" She hissed.

The bushes rustled a moment more when suddenly someone popped out of it, almost hitting Lana.

"What the hell is YOUR FUCKING PROBLEM!" Lana screamed, pushing the person who had almost rammed into them backwards. "Does no one here have proper social skills?!"

Flare stood behind Lana still, peaking at the new arrival.

Standing there was a tall man wearing a strange red outfit, a sword hilt at his side, red eyes gleaming with surprise as he looked at them, a few leaves stuck in his shaggy light brown hair.

"Oh! Sorry if I surprised you!" He said giving them a smile.

"Are you serious? Another idiot guy? By the gods…..one more idiot and I am going to scream!" Lana began to mutter, staring at the ground with a dark look on her face.

Flare simply stared at the new arrival, a cautious look in her eyes.

For some reason….he didn't seem….right.

The man stared at Lana for a long moment, looking confused by her odd performance and mutterings and then to Flare, who was still partially hidden behind Lana's back.

She looked away from his gaze before their eyes could meet, shifting uncomfortably under the man's gaze, staring at the floor when she noticed how bloody her sleeve was.

She looked up quickly, eyes widening slightly, but sure enough the man had seen it and was looking at it with and odd expression.

She subtlety shifted the arm behind her back, slinking back behind Lana.

The man looked at the girl with an unreadable expression a moment before turning to Lana.

"Are you hurt?"

"Do I look hurt?" She snapped, snubbing him and crossing her arms.

"Well, I guess not." He said, rubbing the back of his head. He smiled brightly. "That's good."

"Oh! And by the way, do you know where the clock tower is?"

Lana pointed a rude finger in the direction of the clock tower.

"Just came from there. That way." She said shortly.

"Ah- much closer than I thought." He said happily, like it was a great accomplishment.

"What business do you have with Julius? Having a how-to-be-an-asshole meeting with everyone else here?" Lana said, staggering on her words, trying to think of something clever to say but only coming up with the lame line.

"Oh! You know Julius? I'm a friend of his." He said, smile still plastered on his face.

"Well- we're staying there temporarily." Lana said crossing her arms.

"Aaah I see. Hey, what are your names?"

"I'm Lana, and this is Flare." Lana said, nodding her head back to Flare, who looked at the ground, paling slightly.

"Ok! Nice to meet you, Flare. Lana. I'm Ace, a knight at the castle of hearts."

"Why that is place not a pile of ashes right now….." Lana muttered. "We'll, we're heading there right now. Do you know if it's possible if I can meet with that little shit Pea-Tard- I mean Peter." She said, hissing out Peter's name with menace.

Ace didn't seem to notice it though. "Sir Peter? I didn't know he had acquaintances…."

"More like enemies…." Lana muttered. "But yeah, I've got business with him."

"He's usually at the castle but….hmm…they probably won't let you enter alone."

"How is it they allow morons like you in but not people like us…" Lana muttered once again. "This man looks like he could set fire to a swimming pool."

"I'll take you there!" He suddenly exclaimed.

Lana perked up, glaring at him.

"**You will not."**

He blinked in surprise, seeming a little taken back, but Lana just continued on.

"I believe me and Flare and quite capable of making it there on our own. Besides, aren't you going to see Julius?"

"I've got time before we have to meet, it'll be fine!" He said, smiling down at Lana.

"God….fine. Whatever floats your boat." Lana said, grabbing Flare firmly by the hand and turning around, snubbing him. "Become a nuisance though and I won't hold back." She muttered darkly, dragging Flare with her. Ace simply laughed, walking ahead of them.

It was silent as they walked, Ace leading the way, sickening smile still plastered on his face.

"Are we going in the right direction-?" Flare whispered to Lana quietly. Lana just shrugged.

"I don't think so. It feels like were getting farther away- Hey, you! Ace of farts! Isn't the castle that way?" Lana asked, pointing in the other direction.

He gave them a sickening smile.

"I assure you the castle is this way." He said.

"Really now…." Lana muttered, eye twitching.

"Yup!"

"What a moron…" Lana muttered.

They walked on in silence.

"You and your friend don't say much."

"_My mommy told me not to talk to strangers_." Lana hissed annoyed.

Ace simply laughed, but it sounded a little off.

"Well, a little late for that now."

"I don't want to talk to you. And neither does Flare." Lana said annoyed. "Well, Flare rarely talks to anyone, but still. Just hurry up and get us to the stupid castle, got it?"

He simply laughed, waving them off as they fell back into silence.

After what felt like forever of wandering the forest, they wandered into a clearing.

"…..What the hell?" Lana muttered, looking at the mansion, a vein bulging in her forehead. "Excuse me, moron. Care to explain why this is not a castle and why we are not at the castle?" She asked in an even voice, even though it looked like she was about to burst.

"That's weird…" Ace drawled, rubbing the back of his head with a confused sigh. "But I'm sure this is right. If you go through here you'll get to the castle." Ace said, grabbing the gate. "Let's go!"

"Wait a second you idio-"

"It's you again." A familiar voice cut in.

They turned around.

Standing there was the orange haired man, apparently Elliot March.

"Allowing trespassers in….they're slacking again." He said obviously pissed, crossing his arms.

Suddenly he perked up.

"Oh…." He said, looking at Lana and Flare. "The foreigners are with you."

Ace suddenly turned to them, face in slight awe.

"You're….foreigners?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Lana snapped.

He grabbed both Lana and Flare's hands, Flare flinching from her still wounded hand as he looked at them in shock.

"Wow, wow! Unbelievable! My first foreigners-"

Lana suddenly slapped his hand away from Flare's, ripping her own away and shoving Flare behind her.

"….Back off…..." She hissed, trying to keep her tone calm.

Ace gave them both an odd stare, a strange look in his eyes as he examined the loud girl and the one hidden behind her back.

"I apologize about earlier, I have no intentions of killing you anymore." Elliot said. "…Blood's orders."

"…The mafia bastard…." Lana sneered mostly to herself.

"So, Ace." He said, direction his attention at the knight. "Do you have business with the mafia?"

"Why would I have business with the mafia?" Ace asked surprised. "We're headed to the castle."

"Then….you're lost again…" Elliot said, putting a hand to his head both dumbfounded and annoyed.

"…Again?" Lana said, putting a hand on her hip, an annoyed look on her face.

"This is our turf, and any further is the mansion! How many times must I say this?!" Elliot said, gesturing towards the mansion.

"But this is the way to the castle…" Ace said absent mindedly.

"Not it's not." Elliot cut in sharply.

"Huh-?" Ace said, looking genuinely confused. "Guess I went the wrong way again…." He said laughing, rubbing the back of his head.

"…Remind me how we got stuck with this daft idiot again…." Lana muttered, putting a hand to her head annoyed.

"Again and again…..Are you trying to pick a fight when I'm one trigger away from shooting you?" Elliot said with an intimidating glare.

"Why would I pick a fight? You saved me the other day, I should be thanking you."

Elliot looked pretty darn pissed.

But Ace continued on, unaware.

"I like being lost; it lets me meet nice people like you."

A gunshot rang out.

Lana grabbed Flare and jumped away from Ace, a bullet whizzing past him, barely scuffing his collar as he dodged it.

Lana held Flare to her, eyes flashing in rage.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Lana yelled, but Elliot paid her no heed, pointing the gun at them once again.

"You dodged it…I'll make it so you'll never be lost again!"

"That's dangerous, what if you hit the foreigner?" Ace said, a happy smile on his face, but his eyes overshadowed by his bangs, a dangerous look in them.

Flare gave him a weary look.

"Die!" Elliot yelled in respond, letting more bullets lose.

Ace rammed into Lana as bullets flew over them, Lana about to scream in protest, but more weary of the bullets.

"Hide behind the tree!" He commanded, pushing them away.

Lana quickly dashed towards the tree, jumping behind it.

"God…since we've been here it's been nothing but violence and idiots!" Lana hissed, peeking out from behind the tree, paling when a bullet buried itself into it.

Elliot held the gun at Ace, closing the distance between them.

"This time I won't miss."

"That moron's going to be shot-! He's too close!" Lana exclaimed, holding Flare close to her.

Elliot shot the gun.

Ace moved so fast her eyes could barely keep up with his movements.

He ducked down, reaching to his hilt and pulling out his sword and knocking the gun away from him, holding the tip of it against Elliot's throat.

Lana watched as he didn't this without even the slightest of hesitation to his movements, fist clenching.

'_This world…_' She thought, biting her lip.

'_Is perhaps more dangerous than I had thought…'_

"Heh, as expected from a knight of hearts." Elliot said nervously. "It's pointless to shoot wildly."

And the battle began again.

Ace dodged bullet after bullet, Elliot growing more and more frustrated with each missed shot.

"Do you think if we left now they would notice-?" Lana asked annoyed, starting to grow weary. "I don't want to particularly see anyone shot down…."

Flare paled in agreement.

A voice cut in, everything seeming to go still at the sound of it.

"Ah….troubling the young ladies again."

Lana's eyes narrowed.

"I will not allow this to continue on my property." Blood said, appearing on the scene, a calm reserved look on his face.

"….I don't like him…" Lana said, staying close to Flare and squeezing her hand. "I don't like that man one bit."

Flare gave her a confused look. Lana didn't usually hate anyone without a good reason other than men…but her attitude towards him was different. It wasn't loud and angry. It was a venomous hiss. Vicious.

"Elliot, didn't I tell you not to cause trouble for the young lady?" He questioned, looking over at Elliot who immediately perked up, standing up straight.

"It-it's his fault." He said flustered, pointing an accusing finger at Ace. "He keeps getting lost no matter how many times I tell him!"

"Then just help him, think before you shoot."

"I did! But it's the same thing every day-"

"Elliot." Blood interrupted with a stern voice.

He immediately stiffened, snapping to attention.

"I don't remember giving a very complex order."

"I'm sorry…" Elliot said, bowing his head and sulking slightly.

"….." Blood turned to Ace, staring at him silently a moment with an odd look on his face. "My apologies. Please forgive my subordinate."

Ace suddenly smiled and laughed annoyingly again.

"Haha 'forgive?' I'm not even mad. It was no big deal anyways." He said, Elliot standing by silently, trying to remain composed but still looking pissed.

"I see." Blood merely said in response. "It'll be troublesome for you to wander around here. Elliot and I will guide you in the right direction."

He turned towards them, Lana stiffening.

"Now, young ladies." He said, walking towards them. "My apologies for putting you in danger, again."

Lana simply scoffed.

He held out a hand to Lana.

"I promise it will never happen again."

Seeing Lana's hesitation, and most deadly glare, he held his hand out.

"Please believe me."

Lana stared at him a moment, her face stone cold as she let out a 'tch' of annoyance, ignoring his hand and stepping out of her own accord.

Blood seemed surprised, but quickly reverted his face to calm.

Elliot sighed, crossing his arms.

"Listen, the castle is the in opposite direction."

"Oh, I didn't know that-" Ace said, immediately taking off the wrong way.

"Hey- you're already going the wrong way."

"How obnoxious…" Blood said with an amused smile.

Lana stared at Blood with her eyes narrowed, not saying a word, her posture tense.

He glanced over at her.

"Is there something on my face?"

"Besides ugly? Don't think so." Lana said like the smartass she was. He ignored the comment.

"You've been staring at me for a quite a while." He said smugly.

Lana backed up slightly, looking at the floor.

"You just remind me of someone, get over yourself." She snapped.

Blood seemed to think a moment, walking over to her.

"Hmm, judging by the way you were watching so intently…."

He cupped her face with his hand, giving her a mischievous look.

"I must resemble your lover."

Lana blanched.

She slapped his hand away, face turning stone cold, her eyes filled with venom as she stared at him, a dark aura emanating from her.

"Not even close." She seethed, Blood looking at her in surprise.

"Don't get cocky, it's not in a good way." She hissed, glaring at him.

"….I see." He said, putting a hand to his face. "And who would that be."

Lana simply snorted. "No business of yours, they're long gone now."

"I see…." He said "If it were me-" He began with a charming smile. "I would never leave a woman who looks at me so intently."

Lana's eyes widened.

"If someone were to look at me with eyes like your, I would cut off their legs so they could never leave me. I would swear to cut my heart out if I ever found another woman."

"That's a bunch of shit…." She said annoyed, a dark smirk pulling at her lips, but before she could spit another word out, he leaned before her, grabbing a strand of her hair, bringing it to his lips.

"I meant every word." He said, looking at her intently. "If you were to look at me in that manner, this is how I would feel."

"Ah~ Lana you're being hit on by the mafia boss."

"She's not Bloods type!" Elliot yelled.

Lana stepped away from him with a dark glare.

"I see what you're doing." Lana seethed, crossing her arms and releasing Flare's hand, putting a hand on her hip.

"Hmm?"

She gave him a dark smirk, a sly look on her eyes.

"You're the type of guy who just bullshits everything."

"Shit shit shit…that's all that ever leaves your lips."

"Excuse me young lady-"

"Don't think I don't know your game." She said, face going blank.

"You're trying to be the nice, charming guy, trying to leave a nice impression. But that's different from how it actually is, now isn't it? You're a manipulative bastard. Don't think I can't tell."

The atmosphere was heavy, Bloods face anything but calm now.

Lana suddenly smirked, perking up slightly.

"Ah- but that much is to be expected from the mafia." She said, waving her hand and grabbing Flare's once again.

"Huh." Ace said, intervening. "Looks like she isn't interested. You guys look good together. Too bad, Lana is on her way to meet Sir Peter."

"Meet Peter White!?" Elliot and Blood both exclaimed at the same time.

"…Why are you meeting a man like him?" Elliot asked, genuinely confused.

"I got something to ask the little fucker." Lana said annoyed.

Blood look at her a long moment before speaking. "Then I won't stop you but….he's a dangerous man. Be careful."

"Look who's talking." Lana muttered under her breath, Flare wasn't sure if Blood had heard it or not. If so, he hadn't shown any signs of.

"If something were to happen…" Blood said, looking to the side in thought. "That knight would probably help you."

Ace gave an odd smile, Flare shifting uneasily.

Blood suddenly seemed to notice Flare, looking at her arm.

"Ah- it seems the quiet one is injured." Blood said looking at her bloody arm, stepping towards her.

Lana immediately stepped in front of her with a threatening glare.

"There's no need to go near her. I will take care of it." Lana growled protectively.

Blood's face was unreadable as he looked back at the red haired girl who was looking at the ground, expression completely void of emotion.

"Haha. You sure are protective of her." Ace chimed in, but he was ignored.

"Now now, if she was injured in the fight, then it is my responsibility. " Blood said, waving his hand.

"It wasn't from the fight." Lana chocked out loudly, her voice wavering.

She took in a shaky breath, calming herself a moment.

"….It wasn't from the fight." She repeated again, calmer. "I'll take care of it. There's no need for you to go near her. Ever."

Blood narrowed his eyes at her.

Lana turned around, beginning to walk away.

"I think we've wasted enough time here. Let's go." Lana said smoothly, walking in the direction of the castle, keeping Flare close by her.

Ace looked down at his hand where he had grabbed Flare's injured one, looking at the blood staining it with a blank look, before looking at the back of the girl.

He simply smiled, following after them.

X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X+X


End file.
